The Red Sox sit 10.5 games out of first and the way they have been playing, who knows if they are going to catch up. The up and down play has not helped them gain any sort of momentum and the playoff berth window is closing fast.
With the inconsistent play, it may be time to cash in what you have and gain some assets. The farm system is already very strong to begin with, so why not pad it a bit more for the future. Jon Lester, Koji Uehara and maybe even Johnny Gomes could be on the trading block.
With the magic that happened last year en route to a World Series win, many were hoping to see a similar result but it just has not panned out. It would make to sense to rip it down and build it back up.
The biggest question lingering is whether or not Lester will be dealt before the deadline. At the beginning of the season it seemed as though he wanted to take a pay cut to stay in Boston, but they are still in the same place in contract talks since they begun the talks. Lester could be a great piece to a team trying to make a run at being the last one standing in October. There could be a slim chance that the Red Sox resign him but if the right trade comes along, the Red Sox could pull the trigger. One crazy scenario could be that Lester is traded away as a rental for the rest of the season and then signs with the Sox after the season is over. A stretch, but you never know in this business.
Koji could return some good assets after being one of the most dominant pitchers we have saw last October. He is still a great pitcher this season and it would be hard to see him go, but that is a good possibility as well. With his dominance, he could bring back some good assets moving forward for the Red Sox.
The last one that is intriguing is Johnny Gomes. It seems that the Res Sox have a plethora of outfielders at the moment and Gomes has been just as inconsistent as the whole team this season. He is a great hitter against lefties but that is about it. He provided great services last season in October but it may be time to part ways.
It really comes down to what the front office thinks. Being in last place at this point in the season proves to be a long climb to try and get back to the top and the inconsistent play does not seem like it will end soon.
My advice to the Sox would be sell, sell, sell. Time to get some assets for next season and start figuring out what you are going to do in the offseason. Start giving more reps to the young guys and lets develop that farm system. There are some good pieces on the team now, but they just do not click like the 2013 team. It could be a quick fix with moving a few guys around or it could be a few years before the Soc get back to where they want to be.
Freshly Pressed Sports 